The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1887-11-30
to the people.


of property is readily accounted for. The
abstract" ought to be much beyond my last.
Consider tie many miles of steel rail trans,
assessed at pretty high rate over the couu-
", and rented by these mill men, recently
constructed and taxed for the first time Also
the saw mills erected, ba.ed cotton, and the
annual material increase in wealth and pros
perity from yea: to year and neTer greater
than at this time. Besides these, We have
tie addition Of swamp lands long since
abandoned and of late taken mp on account
of new railroads and avenues opening up q
demand.
Whenever :. man has property OF any val
ne, now take my word for 1t lie is not liable
to allow it to lie around loosely aud not re-
turned Ee the auditor ne:er SC ''indolent
be viii not allow it OF the books. The law,
in it's mercy. provides remedy for ambl-
tious auditors WHO overleap the ordinary
bounds by sending on, unsolicited, with
other papers for settlement with treasurer,
sspetitions for abatemeEts;' an expression
the meaning of which all auditors either
know, or will find ere they reach the
close of thier first year, and the knowledge
will come in such way rs to !a&ke dura-
ble impression. After thus giving as it were,
birds eye view of the surroundings, tedl-
Gus it is true, but necessary to clear COM
prehension Of the questions at issue, I shall
now proceed 10 give the great c1S:ls be'ti, the
head and front OF the offending, The tax du-
pl;cate Of 1886, that nurseliEg OF the storm.
After all that has been said it's nothing
more nor less than an unfinished book, and
uo 5cr tie following circumstances Vixen
tie primaries cane on very reluctantly
laid down my work, which, when progress
ed to that stage, cannot be well delegated to
another, anG like other candidates went out
for . time elcct;oneSring. While TIE TINE
vas short I had hoped that by diligent effort
day and night the loss could be made up
and would-had it not been for the miSfor'
tune that my sight failed from the severe
strain of long continued work at night, and
TO such an extent, as TO De almost entirely
abandoned. The aid of glasses-from the
inflammation present-aforded bat little
help. I thus saw that N Ill probability the
books might be delayed. So transferring,
what had not been already carried there by
townships to t-easurers duplicate, which &c
4 COPY Of the auditors, tle former was made
ready for collection, leaving upon the audi
tors about six or eight days work ,u.Jll@Shed.
As the curious may desire to know how
could this be when according 70 orders from
the bosses, the auditors duplicate Lad to oe
made ready as to the amount OF properly
by the 3Oth of June? will answer by ask
ING another question. How can the per-
ce1tage to be added on or taken from every
mans property separately, when the
action Of the State Board OF Equalization is
never promulgated for weeks after the 3oth
of June? Simply this: Much OF the WORK
had to be done on paper, and all IN such a
way as to be in cordirion to admit OF what
ever changes the State Board might order.
Nv last year was one Of these re-tssessMeHt
years. Right here that great Railroad case
IS in point: When the names were written
in auditors duplicate, I carried the Central
Railroad matter which is :; separate and dis
tinct entry on tie books and On the lab,
stract" (or report of the aggregated property
to the back part of auditor duplicate, where
ordered to carry it, and putin pencil, think
the assessment ola previous year, only as
memorandum, until the rates from Colum'
bia could be had fer that year, which came
bearing date about the middle Of July. When
making up the abstract this paper was be-
fore me, and I had no occasion to look &c
tho books. This, it WAS my purpose to pu,
to rights along with the few days work LEFT
undone on the auditors book, just as soon
as terrific rush OF the collection should end
But the time was extended, and SO soon as
possible after making up reports called for
1 set about completing these and othe:
things necessary before turning over the OF
fee Contrary to all custom, right or reason
as it appeared to me and many others, We:
required to surrender on january otE, 1887
while nv commission did not expire una
January 10Th. Thus leaving everything
nearly month in advance OF any expecta
ton on my part Now, VIII not every tnir
minded man admit that this was unfair anc
unjust? To illustrate; consider one circum
stance resulting by which Slo or SIS OF the
sum Of inaccuracies noted down by Comp
troller-G General. had pencil notes on books
between the lines, for my own information
in regard to certain cases and never, design
ed to remain there, and would have been e..
taken of, but for my unexpected surrender
Among them ives ore relating TO az old anc
yery excellent gentlemen OF our county.
When the BOOK was made ready and passed
over to the treasurer, the day he started out
his first appointment was as advertised, nea'
where this gentleman lived. In looking
over It was noticed that no land was assess
ed against him, while he had been paying on
several hundred acres for years. 1t occurred
to me that he, always so prompt, had forgot
ten about the re-assessment OF real estate
Looking to his last return the memorandum
was made in pencil, ofnumber OF acres, and
last valuation, etc and the circumstance re-
lated to treasurer, and instruction giyeu that
:, ooeo bo caliaA RI allow him to Day and
notify me of fact. There itremainea through
the collection, and about the time OF my va
eating, it came to orr knowledge that the
lands had al been paid in the name OF his
children, to whom it had been given. Now
this was sccunted as a mistake while only
memorandum to save trouble to q very oIG
and feeble gentleman. Other notes were
there simply as reminders and while | have
never locked at the duplicate fifteen minutes
since leaving the Office l believe three-fourths
of the errors spoken OF are ofise character.
For instance: Where persons paid theirpro-
portion of taxes on interest acquired since
the last listing" the amount paid by each
was generally noted down, while the origl-
nal amount stood until settlement time.
There was nc earthly necessity Cor any such
blow out No necessity for calling to the in
quest tie Comptroller-General. the Gore
man, and the newspaper Editors. With IN
eve to the eternal fitness Of things, the Cor
oaor ought to have been presen: also. How
pleasant TO have horse to ride when one IS
needed. Mr. Cooper in his prestntment
claims that General Stoney came to see what
caused the delay anda settlement could lot
be effected, on account Of the condition OF